The House on the Harbour

Posted on Mar 13, 2016

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An empty site on a north facing slope, looking across Herne Bay towards the Waitamata Harbour, presented a rare opportunity for a contemporary re-conception of the villa archetype which typifies the surrounds.

‘The house in Herne Bay’ integrates contemporary New Zealand ideals, design and construction, while maintaining much of the language and posture of the well mannered villa.

This contemporary concrete construct is sculpturally formed over three levels: garaging is excavated below; the upper level sits recessively beneath a hipped roof; the mid-level is boldly expressed by the horizontal composition of weatherboard impressed concrete fins. These fins abstract the traditional street veranda, while aiding control of privacy and light into the spaces within.

Programme is arranged about a central northern positioned exterior core which orientates the house towards the sun, provides outdoor living, a view of the Waitamata beyond and creates a vertical link between all levels of the dwelling. While the living spaces are open to the exterior core, bespoke cabinetry and fireplaces creates a variety of interior spaces.

Living spaces are both grandeur yet intimate, much like the street facing rooms of the traditional villa.